Experts agree: Sub Saharan Africa is expected to be disproportionately affected by climate change. As Kofi Annan points out as part of the African Progress panel: “No region has done less to contribute to the climate crisis, but no region will pay a higher price for failure to tackle it.” Yet African countries have a chance to do something that other continents and countries have not, create sustainable development and growth, without negatively impacting the environment by developing and using renewable energy sources.
Africa needs energy. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency’s report, Africa 2030, energy needs in Africa will double by 2030. This is driven largely by economic development growth and changing lifestyles in Africa. But the good news is that renewable energy sources, including biomass, hydro power, wind and solar, have the potential to meet 22 % of Africa’s energy consumption. Today, renewables only account for 5 percent of the total consumption, so it is clear that there is lots of room for growth.
Further, renewables just make sense for Africa. The Africa Renewable Energy Initiative has stated that renewables could produce 10 Gigawatts (GW) of new capacity by 2020 and 300 GW by 2030.
Reliable energy sources, such as renewables, can be the engine of economic growth. Today, in many places on the continent it is common for businesses such as banks, hotels and factories to use their own generators to produce power, since there is no existing energy infrastructure. These make shift solutions are more expensive and unreliable, making business endeavors very inefficient.
Finally, the world is recognizing the potential of the African renewables industry and investors are stepping in.For example Google, one of the largest investor in renewables has invested in Africa’s largest windfarm. These types of investments will allow faster development of renewable energy sources and encourage further foreign investment.
I sum, the Sub Saharan African countries have a unique opportunity to develop and prosper based on renewable energy sources and lead the world in sustainable energy production. This is a future that all Africans can be proud of.